The ability to control undesirable woody plants or undesirable fungus or pests in woody plants by individual stem applications of herbicides; plant growth regulators; fungicides; and insecticides rather than by broadcast foliar sprays is highly desirable from both economic and environmental considerations. Today, for example, controlling undesirable woody plants by individual stem applications of herbicides is an important tool for the effective management of woody vegetation on highway, public utility, railroad rights-of-way, and similar areas.
The application of high volume, oil miscible herbicide sprays diluted with fuel oil, kerosene, or other petroleum solvents has been the primary method of individual stem brush control since phenoxy herbicides were developed in the 1940's. However, recent increases in the cost of petroleum solvents have made this technique, called basal spraying, uneconomical.
Soil active herbicides, water/oil mixtures, and cut stem injection techniques such as frilling have been utilized in an attempt to find a replacement for the original high-volume oil, basal spray technique. All of these replacement techniques will afford some control of many woody plants, but they are subject to disadvantage such as high cost; injury to off-target vegetation from root uptake; limited use at below freezing temperatures; and the necessary use of sharp, dangerous tools to cut the woody plant stems.
It would be highly desirable to have a technique for realizing control of woody plants and undesirable organisms that infest said plants that obviated the afore-mentioned disadvantages, e.g., a low cost, low volume, injury specific application technique that could be utilized in any season without the use of dangerously sharp instruments.